Quick Cottage Cheese

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Milk Made

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (34)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(34)

Cook Time:
5 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
about 2 cups

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: 35 min
Cook: 5 min
Total:: 50 min

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Ingredients

1 gallon pasteurized skim milk
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup half-and half-or heavy cream

Directions

Pour the skim milk into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat to 120 degrees F. Remove from the heat and gently pour in the vinegar. Stir slowly for 1 to 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a colander lined with a tea towel and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cloth and rinse under cold water for 3 to 5 minutes or until the curd is completely cooled, squeezing and moving the mixture the whole time. Once cooled, squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and stir to combine, breaking up the curd into bite-size pieces as you go. If ready to serve immediately, stir in the half-and-half or heavy cream. If not, transfer to a sealable container and place in the refrigerator. Add the half and half or heavy cream just prior to serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Michael Jupiter, FL 10-31-2009
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It's not just cottage cheese...
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I recently learned to make paneer for Indian recipes and this is the same, except for lemon juice instead of vinegar. I used... whole milk instead of skim, and once it is drained and rinsed, you can press it under a heavy pan and then cut it into cubes after it cools. Once cubed, it can be fried and will brown without melting. It can be used as the protein in vegetarian dishes or to replace meat in other dishes. It is similar to tofu but I think it has a more pleasant texture and taste. It also freezes well. It looks as if the only difference is breaking up the curd and mixing with half-and-half to soften it, rather than pressing and draining it to make it more solid. The real key is to rinse it very well to get all of the acid out.Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Gizandra Davie, FL 10-10-2009
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Heavenly
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

After reading all the comments that were very helpful, I used lowfat milk, less salt, and spent a lot of time rinsing the... curds. I then added heavy cream to the mix and the result was heavenly. The best cottage cheese I have ever eaten and I have eaten a lot of cottage cheese. I can't wait to share it with my friends. Thanks Alton!Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
carol parker, CO 09-18-2009
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best the moment it's finish
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I've made this twice. The first time I added the entire 1 1/2tsp of kosher salt and it was practically inedible. I read the... reviews after the fact and made it again yesterday. Much better when I only used 1/2tsp of kosher salt. I added the cream right away and the product was wonderful. It yielded just over 2C. It was completely coagulated by this morning, however. Ugh. Doubt seriously if I'll ever make it again. I also attempted to reheat the whey to produce ricotta as suggested and I got nothing but liquid. Any suggestions? I live at 6400ft. Maybe there's an issue with altitude and adjusting the recipe???Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Robert Phoenix, AZ 09-13-2009
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Not bad
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Just made this, and having not actually had cottage cheese before, I found this tasted very much like mozzarella. I varied... the recipe slightly after reading the other reviews. I took the cheese and soaked it in cold salt water breaking it up under water. I did this several times and then rinsed it even more under running water. I squeezed every drop of water I could get out of it and then tasted it. It only had the faintest of vinegar taste. I took the cheese broke it up in a bowl sprinkled a small amount of salt on it, added the half and half, then sprinkled some more salt on it, Probably no more than a 1/4 of a teaspoon. I let this chill for a while then ate it. The key is to rinse as much of the vinegar out as possible. It makes about 1 cup. just to verify, my wife (who eats cottage cheese) tasted it and said "it taste like cottage cheese".Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Kellee Orlando, FL 09-11-2009
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Great cooking project with kids
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My four-year old and I watched the "Milk Made" episode together. He and I both love cottage cheese, so I wanted to give it a... try. We had great fun making it together (he did the stirring as I added the vinegar and helped squeeze the curds in the tea towel under the cold water). He is learning to love the science of food preparation and he really loved eating the results. Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Teresa Depoe bay, OR 08-09-2009
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Extra Easy & Very Tasty!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I used fresh, raw milk that I have an abundance of. I doubled the recipe right off the bat and I cut down the vinegar to 1... -1/4 cup & also cut down the salt to 1 -1/2 tsp. It came out great. Much better & more flavorful than store bought. I yielded 4+ cups of curd's & after totally draining & mixing, I just take out the amount we want for our meal & mix with the fresh cream we have on hand. It's easy & fast & trouble free, not to mention, delicious. I 'm really happy to of stumbled upon this recipe.Read more